


I Fall For You Every Time

by Xander_The_Undead



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Just teens crushing on each other, M/M, falling off ladders, it sucks man, surprise angst at the end!, twisted ankles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21939655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xander_The_Undead/pseuds/Xander_The_Undead
Summary: All Eddie wanted to do was spend time in the clubhouse. Nothing ever goes the way he wants it.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 7
Kudos: 90





	I Fall For You Every Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [toziesque](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toziesque/gifts).



> Secret Santa gift for Toziesque!

Hanging out alone with Richie is the clubhouse was rare. Usually there were at least one of the other losers with them, but today everyone had something they needed to do after school. Eddie knew he’d looked disappointed because even though Richie had plans, he shook his head with a sigh and told Eddie to give him a minute.

Eddie had watched Richie walk off behind the high school building and after about ten minutes he came back around with a large smile on his face.

“Well,” he yelled. “Looks like I’m getting some spaghetti alone time!”

And that was how Eddie had ended up alone with Richie that day. It wasn’t like it was weird, him and Richie hung out alone often, just not in the clubhouse, away from all eyes. Eddie had figured out that he wasn’t so much into girls around junior high when Karen Dantos asked him to the homecoming dance and tried to kiss him. It was until freshman year of high school that he realized why his heart always seemed to speed up around his best friend. Why he would yell louder and get angrier faster, because it got Richie’s attention. He liked Richie and now that they were alone in a dark clubhouse, Eddie was highly aware of every movement the other made.

He watched as Richie filled with his phone, saying he was going to play them some tunes while they figured out what the fuck they wanted to do, and Eddie couldn’t help but sigh softly. Richie wasn’t even classically handsome; he was sharp angles with a large mouth, and he was tall but so thin people wondered if he ever ate.

(He did. Eddie can attest to this. Richie was a bottomless pit.)

But even though he wasn’t conventionally attractive, Eddie couldn’t help loving the sharp slant of Richie’s long nose, or the lopsided grin he got when Eddie was joining in on a joke.

He was in love with Richie Tozier and it was the best and worst thing ever.

“Eds, you want something we can dance to or something more chill? I got both.”

Eddie pursed his lips as he tried to decide but ended up shrugging in the end. “I don’t know. You pick, just don’t play it too loud cause I want to actually be able to hear you when you talk.”

Richie let out a large over dramatic gasp, placing his hand to his cheek as he turned around to face Eddie. He pitched his voice high and a little breathy. “Well, bless ma little fragile loving heart. My dearest Edward says he wants to listen to me talk! Oh goodness! Help! I got the vapors!”

“Shut up.” Eddie said, but there was no heat behind it as he started to chuckle. Richie was getting pretty good at his voices; they were no longer the same damn voice just pitched weird. “Just pick your music, Trashmouth.”

Eddie could hear Richie chuckling as he turned back to his phone and Eddie stood up from his spot, moving towards the ladder. “I’m going to close the hatch.”

“Yeah you are.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and started to climb up the ladder, getting to the top and reaching for the rope to the hatch when he suddenly heard Richie yell.

“Vibe Check!”

Eddie jerked in surprise when he felt Richie slap his ass, his heart lodging in his chest when he felt his balance start to go. Oh fuck, was his last thought before his footing and hold slipped and he fell to the ground with a sound that made his stomach twist. Eddie yelled as bright hot pain shot through his entire body where he landed, but the worst pain was in his ankle.

“Holy shit! Eds! Are you okay?”

Eddie grit his teeth, trying not to throw up from the pain, but the need to snap Richie’s head off for being such an absolute idiot was greater.

“No, I’m not okay, you giant fucking ass canoe! What the fuck we’re you even god damn thinking with that? Jesus H Christ! It fucking hurts like a mother fucker!”

“So, it hurts like me?” Came a weak reply and no matter the pain Eddie tried his best to whip around to slap any part of Richie he could reach.

“I’m going to murder you!”

Richie ignored his anger, kneeling next to Eddie with his hands hovering over Eddie’s body not sure how to help. Eddie’s fury melted at the devastated look on Richie’s face and he grunted as he tried to sit up, Richie immediately moving to help him as gently as possible. Eddie hissed in pain but was able to sit up and then groaned when his ankle throbbed. “Shit, my ankle hurts. I think it’s broken.”

Usually, when Eddie started to freak out about something health related the losers would try to talk some reason into him, especially Richie, but now that reason wasn’t coming. Richie was oddly silent as he reached over to grab his phone and turned shone the light over Eddie’s foot.

“Shit.” The whisper was so quiet Eddie almost didn’t hear it. “Oh god, okay, Eds. I need you to not freak out.”

“What?” Eddie cried, his voice shooting up in fear as the pain started to ebb into a deep pulsating pain.

Richie shifted so he could get a better look, reaching out to very gently move Eddie’s ankle into the light more. Eddie nearly screamed at the pain and reached out to shove at Richie. “That hurt!”

Richie was still quiet, looking at the ankle before he cursed softly under his breath and looked up at Eddie with a worried look. “It’s really swollen, like you have a balloon here instead of an ankle.”

Eddie picked his lips, worry and fear starting to creep into his heart. “What does that mean?”

Richie grimaced a little. “At best it’s twisted, at worst it’s broken.”

“Oh my god.” Eddie groaned, trying to shift to a position that was killing him. “Oh my god. Richie, what am I going to do? If I go home like this my mom is going to flip! You know how hard I’ve been trying to convince her just to let me go to college outside the state!”

“Eds- “

“With this she’ll never let me! I’ll have to stay here while you all leave, and I’ll be all alone and end up like fucking Norman Bates or something and and and!”

“Eddie!”

“What!” He shouted back, starting to hyperventilate at the idea of being stuck with his mother for the rest of his life, but his breathing calmed when Richie cupped Eddie’s cheeks between his hands.

He took a deep breath when Richie did, all the losers well versed in how to handle Eddie’s oncoming panic attacks now that the inhaler was gone. They continued their breathing routine until Eddie felt calm and he had his breathing more under control. He didn’t mean for it to happen, but one the blind panic and ebbed away his body and mind felt exhausted, his lip started to wobble before large tears started running down his cheeks. Richie made an almost pained noise and Eddie sniffed loudly as the tears kept coming.

“Eds…”

“Sorry,” Eddie’s voice cracked on the apology a sob in his throat choking the words. “I just don’t want to be left behind.”

“Eddie, whoa whoa.” Richie replied, thumbs brushing at Eddie’s cheek to wipe away the tears and if Eddie had been in less pain and stress, he would have loved it. “First off, you don’t need to be sorry for crying, your ankle is the size of a softball. You’re fucking allowed.”

Eddie sniffed when Richie moved to press his forehead against Eddie’s, his face so close Richie’s glasses dig gently into Eddie’s face. “And I will never leave you behind, Eds. You’re my Spaghetti. If I must steal you out of that stupid house when I leave I will! Break in like the prince in mother fucking Rapunzel. Except for the ending, cause I can’t impregnate you.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and then gave a weak smile.

“You promise?”

“Absolutely. You’re too important to me to leave behind.” That got a real smile from Eddie and Richie pulled back with a smile of his own. “Okay, now that we solved that crisis, we need to get you to a hospital?”

Eddie sighed and shook his head, reaching up to wipe at his damp eyes before looking up at the open hatch. “That’s going to be impossible. There’s no way I can climb that ladder with my ankle like this and the hospital is like two miles away.”

“I’ll carry you.”

Eddie snorted, but when he saw how sincere Richie’s face was at the offer, he shook his head gently. “Richie, I’ve seen your president fitness scores. You can barely carry fifty pounds, I’m a hundred and forty pounds.”

“Geeze, Michelin Man. Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Richie replied a little bitterly and Eddie sighed. “Right now, that’s our only option unless you want me to call nine-one-one, but that will mean they immediately call your mom and shit.”

Eddie screwed just eyes shut and groaned at that idea before giving a small hesitant nod. It took some maneuvering, a few pained yells and Eddie chewing Richie out before Richie kneeled in front of Eddie with his back to him. Eddie gingerly moved to wrap his arms around Richie’s neck, his good leg pushing himself up and clinging best he could. When Richie slid his hands under Eddie’s knees and stood, Eddie held his breath as Richie wobbled a little, but soon the taller boy settled.

“Alright,” Richie nodded as he moved towards the ladder. “I’m going to need my arms for this, so can your one leg hold on tight enough, so you aren’t completely dead weight?”

Eddie bit his lip, unsure but he nodded. “Yeah, I can try.”

It was a shaky and slow process, the ladder wobbled under their combined weight and most of the time Eddie had his face buried in Richie’s hair with his eyes screwed shut. He listened as Richie grunted and strained, his muscles shifting and trembling as he pulled them up. Even through his fear and worry about plunging back down to the cold hard ground, Eddie couldn’t help but hold Richie a little tighter and take comfort in the smell of his hair.

When he felt Richie start to bend at the waist, he opened his eyes to see the beautiful twilight sky above his head, the tall trees that surrounded the opening to the clubhouse had grown a darker green and everything was peaceful. Richie, as soon as he was out and on solid real ground, he slid his arms back under Eddie’s knees and Eddie was able to relax a little.

“How you doing back there? Fine? So bad we need to amputate?”

“Ha Ha.” Eddie replied sarcastically and held on a little tighter, smiling when Richie made a choking noise at the tighter hold around his neck. “I’m fine, ankle still hurts but that’s a given.”

Richie made a humming noise to show he understood and started to move; the forest still so quiet besides the crickets that were coming out to sing their nighttime song.

“It’s really pretty out here.” Eddie muttered, Richie’s wild curls muffling his words a little. “I never knew the forest looked like this.”

“It’s something for sure. Should I take your mom here for our next date?”

Eddie rolled his eyes with a groan, but he didn’t dare try and hit the other since Richie was the only thing keeping his ankle from walking on it. “Richieeee. Shut up.”

He felt more than heard Richie chuckle, the slight shake his body made told Eddie all he needed.

“Well, at least I got one Kaspbrak here to enjoy the view. Too bad it’s less picnics and kissing in the rain and more of a we hope you aren’t crippled for life kind of situation.” Richie joked and Eddie should have either laughed or yelled at him, but the images of what Richie had said for the first part made Eddie feel warm and his face flame. “Eds? You okay? I didn’t get yelled at, are you actually dying?”

“N-no. Not dying.” Eddie muttered quietly, then suddenly a shock of bravery ran through him because he was probably too tired to care about the consequences. In the most casual voice he could muster, he spoke. “Just thought the first part of what you said sounded kind of nice.”

Richie’s steps faltered a little bit, which jostled Eddie and he let out a yelp when his ankle protested with a sharp pain. Richie quickly steadied himself, apologizing a lot before they started moving again. It was quiet for a bit, which was unusual for the Trashmouth and Eddie gulped wondering if Richie had figured out his hint and wasn’t pleased. That sick heavy feeling started to form in his stomach, wondering why he could have been so stupid to think that Richie wouldn’t get it or be happy about it.

“I think it sounds nice too.”

Richie’s words were almost so quiet Eddie had missed them, just a whisper in the wind and Eddie tried to lean his head closer. Had he heard right or was his mind and heart just so desperate for it to be true that it was making his ears hear what he wanted. “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Eddie grit his teeth. “No, tell me.”

“It’s nothing, Eds.”

Even though it was a stupid idea, Eddie did his best to move one of his arms so he could grab a handful of those black curls and pulled. Richie let out a yell and staggered, the movement causing Eddie’s ankle to throb and Eddie clenched his teeth against the pain, his whimper trapped behind his teeth.

“What the hell, Eddie?”

Eddie wasn’t deterred by Richie’s angry voice and he frowned. “Tell me what you said.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. Jesus!”

“Tell me!”

“I said I think it sound nice too! There are you happy?”

Richie’s echo bounced off the trees, the sound of a few birds startling and flying from their perch were the only other noise. Eddie couldn’t help the large grin that started to spread across his face, his cheeks heating up as he buried his face in Richie’s hair again.

It wasn’t a for sure sign that Richie felt the same, he could have just meant it in general, like with other people, but it was something. Eddie could feel his heart start to beat a little faster and he wondered for a moment of Richie could feel it against his back.

“Yeah, Richie.” He said quietly, holding just a little tighter, almost like a hug. “I’m happy.”

When they made it to the hospital Richie stayed with him the entire time, both of them so relieved when the doctor took a look and said it was only twisted. They started to ice it right away to get some of the swelling down and then for Eddie with a compression sock. It was unfortunate that they had to call Eddie’s mom because he was a minor, but Richie stood next to his bed and held his hand the entire time. Even when Sonia Kaspbrak came bursting in looking like a worried mess and started yelling, Eddie felt better with the warmth of Richie’s hand in his.

He remembered that day until he packed his bags for college in New York, the last to leave but at least he wasn’t being left behind. He remembered the way Richie felt, how he smelled and how his voice sounded, and it warmed his heart to think that maybe someday he’d tell Richie what he truly felt.

Then he passed over the Derry city line and that precious memory stayed with the town.


End file.
